


Perfect Now

by jessi_08



Category: Captain Marvel (2019)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-11-23 10:46:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18150854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessi_08/pseuds/jessi_08
Summary: Carol wanted nothing more than for her memories to come back. She knew there was something more than just a friendship or simply dating between her and Maria but she couldn't put her finger on what.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing in a long time, knocking a lot of dust off and it's not edited so let me know what you think and if there are any mistakes. Also may be taking some liberties with the timeline in future chapters.

Carol leaned against the doorframe to Maria’s bedroom, she wasn’t going to walk in uninvited, even if Maria had offered to share her bed since Fury was on the couch and Talos and his family had the guest room. Maria stopped a few feet into the room, she looked back over her shoulder at Carol. 

“You alright?” Maria asked softly, walking back over to Carol.

“I wish I remembered more… I have like bits and pieces but none of them add up to a whole memory,” Carol explained softly. “Like your bed used to be over there?” Carol said pointing toward the opposite wall, it was really a question more than a statement.

“Yeah, I moved it a few years back, had a leak in the roof.” Maria pointed to the ceiling where a small watermark covered by fresh paint was still showing through. 

“It’s better over there…” Carol looked around the room still, trying to remember anything, anything at all, it was starting to give her a headache. 

“Hey,” Maria said softly grabbing Carol’s attention, “You’re thinking too much. You’ll wind yourself up and give yourself a headache.”

“Already there,” Carol admitted. 

“Come on, I’ve got some clothes you can change into for the night,” Maria gently led Carol into the room. She walked over to the closet, pulling out a cardboard box. 

“You kept my stuff?”

“Well, most of it. There were a few things that… There’s more in the attic, we’ll get it out tomorrow,” Maria promised before focusing on the box again. She pried open the top and dug around for a moment or two before pulling out a set of clothes.

“You kept the boxers you hated, I’m impressed.” Carol teased and Maria rolled her eyes as she handed them over. 

“Didn’t have the heart to throw out your favorite shit,” Maira grumbled, they stood there for a moment in awkward silence. 

“Can I ask you something?” Carol asked softly, looking up at Maria like a nervous teenager about to ask their crush on a date to the prom.

“Yeah, I suppose.” Maria offered a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

“Were you and I… were we dating?” Maria’s heart sank for a moment, she didn’t know how to answer to be totally honest, she just knew that giving small details at first would be better. 

“Yeah, something like that,” Maira said and Carol nodded, staring down at the clothes in her hands. 

“I had bits and pieces of life here… or at least what I know now to be life here… You were part of it… Monica too,” Carol explained, Maria could hear the pain in her voice as she spoke, she couldn’t imagine how confusing everything must be, Maria didn’t want to add to the confusion. 

“We’ll take the time and sort it all out as you remember stuff. Whatever you can’t remember Monica and I will fill in for you.” Maria promised, she walked over to the bed, pulling the covers down. “For now, you should change and we should both get some sleep.” Maria wasn’t expecting Carol to drop the clothes to the bed and for her to pull her shirt over her head. Maria heard herself let out the smallest of gasps, her eyes traced down Carol’s prominent muscles pulling her skin tight against them. Her heart broke when she noticed how many more scars littered her body than they had six years ago. They were supposed to stop wars, not fight in them. 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that…” Carol said quickly as she pulled a clean shirt back on. Maria stepped up to her, sliding a hand under Carol’s shirt, against her skin. Everything in Maria’s brain was telling her to slow down, that this wasn’t going to make things easier, go with need not want. They need to take things slow, she wants to take Carol to bed  _ now _ . 

“I… I want to try something,” Maria said softly, feeling Carol’s breath quicken under her hand. 

“Oh?” Carol asked, for once at a loss for words. Maria leaned in and kissed Carol softly, barely brushing her lips against Carol’s. There was a spark. 

Maria pulled back, touching her lip as she looked at Carol, “Was that you?”

“Sorry,” Carol said turning red. Maria chuckled and wrapped a hand around the back of Carol’s neck pulling her into another kiss. 

“Sparks still there, just different this time around,” Maria explained after she pulled back from the kiss. She would kiss Carol all day if she could, she would never let the woman leave the house again if it was possible. She was done sharing Carol with the outside world. 

“Good different, or bad different?” 

“Good, very good,” Maria said dropping her head to Carol’s shoulder as Carol wrapped her arms tightly around her. 

“I wish I had never forgotten you,” Carol said softly, voice cracking.

“Me too, but we’ll deal with it,” Maria promised. “Come on, we should get some sleep.” Maria led Carol over to the bed and they both crawled in. 

“I have this memory of a bar… and some dude, and I think I fought him?” Maria started laughing loudly, so loudly Carol clapped her hand over Maria’s mouth to avoid waking the others before laughing herself.

“You did,” Maria said through her laughter. “You beat his ass too.” 

“What the hell did he do?”

“Told you, you couldn’t.” Carol stared at Maria blankly for a moment before a grin broke out on her face. 

“And I did?”

“Oh god yes you did.” Maria laughed. “No one dared to ever challenge you at that place after that. I thought for sure we were going to be kicked out.”

“We weren’t?” 

“No, but we left on our own accord…” Maria trailed off after that, not sure if she should go on with the story of what transpired after that. Carol was watching her carefully however and didn’t seem to miss a beat.

“Is that the night we… in a truck… under the stars?” Maria nodded without saying a word. “You thought I was hot beating him up?”

“I always thought you were hot.”

“What about now?” Carol asked and Maria laughed.

“Always have, always will.”

“Even when I’m old and grey?”

“I’ll be old and grey right there with you.”

“No, you’ll age with much more grace than I will.” Maria laughed, Carol didn’t age a day while she was gone, those same six years were not so kind to Maria.

“Go to sleep before you annoy me,” Maria said and Carol laughed, pulling Maria close to her. 

“Can we make-out first?” Carol asked and Maria laughed again before pulling Carol into a kiss. She waited six years to kiss Carol again, she didn’t think she was capable of ever turning her down for good make-out session ever again.

x-x-x

Carol hugged Monica tightly, holding the young girl in her arms as they stood out in the yard. 

“Promise you’ll come back,” Monica said, tears rolling down her cheeks, Carol kissed the side of her head. 

“I can’t… I wish I could but I can’t. If I can I will try.” Carol knew Monica didn’t like the answer she got but it was all she could offer. When she set the girl back down she kissed her forehead. “You be good, got it, Lieutenant Trouble?” Monica nodded before Fury walked up taking her hand to walk her back to the house. Carol grabbed his shoulder turning him back. 

“Take care of them.” It was stern, a warning, and Nick nodded. Carol turned and was face to face with Maria.

“You help them find a home, then you come back,” Maria said in the same tone Carol had just used on Fury. Carol grabbed Maria, hugging her tightly. 

“I’ll try to make it back as often as I can… but they all need me out there… the Kree ar—”

“I know… but visit… please.”

“I’ll try,” Carol promised, she placed a soft kiss on Maria’s lips. “You can throw those ratty old boxers out… I only kept them because you hated them.” She smirked as Maria groaned loudly but ran a hand through Carol’s hair, she watched as Carol’s eyes closed, soaking in the contact.

“I know,” Maria said softly, she pressed another kiss to Carol’s mouth, “now go save the galaxies.” 


	2. Chapter 2

“Stop fighting it!” Talos said as Carol fell to the ground after being released from the contraption.

“You aren’t doing what you did last time,” Carol shouted, Talos ignored her tantrum, knowing the woman was just frustrated with everything.

“You are fighting it,” Talos said simply. 

“Let’s go again,” Carol said standing up, rubbing her wrists. 

“You should take a break,” Talos said putting a hand on Carol’s shoulder. “I know you want to remember, and you have a lot of questions but this… it’s an art, and sometimes it doesn’t work.” 

“It has to Talos… you saw them… they are my family and I don’t know them.” Carol was almost to tears, Talos rubbed her back. 

“Carol.”

“Please, Talos… I need to know.” Talos growled but nodded.

“Get back in…” Carol walked over and allowed Talos to hook her back up. Talos looked at Carol who gave a nod. “You need to relax.”

“Hit it,” Carol said and Talos tried to pry the memories from Carol’s again. The same memory of her father returned, only this time it was a little longer. 

_ ‘One day, I’ll leave and I’m never coming back,’ Carol said sternly to the man in front of her. _

_ ‘Good,’ he said as he turned away, spitting chew to the ground. Carol wanted to scream and cry and hit the man but knew it did her no good, she fought back the rage as it boiled under her skin. She watched as the man walked to his car, her brother climbing in next to her. He left her.  _

_ ‘Carol, you want a ride, honey?’ A man asked, it was her brother’s friend's father.  _

_ ‘I can walk,’ Carol said stubbornly as she headed toward the road. It was miles to home, but she knew she could make it, even if it would be well after dark.  _

Carol fell back to the ground, more frustrated than before. She slammed her fists into the floor, hot tears streaming down her face.

“Why can’t I remember them?” Carol cried and Talos sat next to her. 

“Maybe you have to remember all this before you get to them.” Talos leaned back against one of the computers, pulling Carol to do the same. “That was your dad?”

“Yeah,” Carol said. 

“He was an ass,” Talos said and Carol laughed, nodding.

“He was, he loved my brother, hated me.” Carol rubbed her forearm. “Broke that when I was eight.”

“Men like that should be killed.”

“Men like that happen too often.” 

“Want to talk about what you do remember?” Talos asked and Carol shrugged.

“Couldn’t hurt.” Carol sighed, letting her head fall back against the wall. “My father was an asshole. My mom was too afraid to leave him. My brother was an idiot.”

“What about you? How did you come out so well?” Talos asked and Carol shrugged.

“I don’t know but I’m certain it has something to do with Maria.” Talos nodded, he stood up and offered his hand down to Carol.

“We’re going to find out,” he said as he pulled Carol to her feet. 

_ The night quickly fell around Carol, she wasn’t afraid though, she loved the night, the stars, it always felt safe to her. She looked down the road that led to her house, then the other that led somewhere else. Carol turned in that direction, soon she was being gathered into a woman’s arms. _

_ ‘Carol sweetheart, what happened?’ the woman asked and Carol’s lip quivered, however, she refused to cry. _

_ ‘Can I stay h—’  _

_ ‘Of course, go shower, I’ll have Maria lay out some clothes for you.’  _

Carol fell out of the machine again and grinned up at Talos.

“So you grew up with her?” Talos asked and Carol nodded. 

“Put me back in?” She asked and Talos shrugged.

_ ‘You want me to beat him up?’ Maria asked as Carol stared up at her ceiling fan spinning round and round. _

_ ‘No, he’s not worth it,’ Carol said back before rolling over to face Maria. ‘When we have kids promise me you won’t let me be like him.’ _

_ ‘Carol, you could never be like him,’ Maria promised, taking Carol’s hand in her own and squeezing it. _

_ ‘Please, just promise me... ‘ Maria leaned over and kissed Carol’s cheek. _

_ ‘I promise you,’ she said softly. _

This time Carol was crying as she slumped down to the floor, Talos caught her and guided her gently to the floor. He held her and let her cry. 

“I could go beat him up,” Talos whispered softly and Carol shook her head against his chest. 

“He’s not worth it.”

“Do you know what happened to him?” Carol shook her head.

“I couldn’t tell you anything about them… they aren’t my family.” Talos nodded.

“Well if we want to make any real progress with this, we should set up a schedule, too long in this thing and you can get hurt. So less than an hour a day ok? No more marathon runs like we did today.” 

“But—”

“No, you need to be safe first, the memories will come back, only if the body is there to hold them.” Carol nodded, for all she knew she would be up here for years searching for a new home for the Skrulls. She looked out the window into space. “When’s Monica’s birthday?” 

“Five months away.”

“Well then, we better set a reminder so that we have you back there on time. Neither of us will miss another child’s milestone,” Talos said and Carol grinned at him. No more missed birthdays, that sounded amazing to Carol. 


	3. Chapter 3

Maria watched as Carol walked across the yard toward her. Carol smirked as Maria climbed out of the plane, cleaning her hands on an old rag from her back pocket. Maria crossed the rest of the yard, meeting Carol. 

“You’re early,” Maria smiled. 

“Hard to keep track of earth time while I’m dozens of galaxies away.” Maria lifted Carol’s arm, pointing to a watch she had on. 

“Liar,” Maria kissed Carol. “I’m really glad you came early.” 

“Well, I couldn’t be late to any more birthdays.” Carol wrapped her arm around Maria’s back. “Need help with her?” Carol nodded toward the plane.

“Actually, was just finishing up for the day.” 

“Monica at school still?” 

“Yeah, she took cupcakes in today. The ones in the little ice cream cones.”

“You told me about those.” Carol smiled. “If I remember correctly I was on the phone with you as you made them.” 

“Yup, thank god Nick is good at listening to instructions on how to rig up intergalactic phones.” 

“Thank god for Blackberrys.” Carol kissed Maria’s cheek. “Now, you said Monica was at school? How long before she’s home?”

“Couple hours,” Maria said and Carol swept her up in her arms, kissing her. 

“Perfect, you can welcome me home in the proper way,” Carol said against Maria’s mouth. 

“Couldn’t imagine any other way.” 

x-x-x

Monica dragged her feet as she walked up the driveway to the house. She let a rock roll from one shoe to the other as she stared at it. The screen door made the same noise it always did as it opened, a strange groan screeching sound. Monica looked up fully expecting to see her mother’s smiling face, in her coveralls, cleaning her hands on the rag she always seemed to have. She looked up and stopped walking.

“Aunty Carol!” Monica shouted, she dropped her bag and ran toward Carol. Carol jumped off the porch and tossed Monica into the air. 

“Lieutenant Trouble!” Carol shouted running around with Monica above her head, Monica’s arms stretched out to either side as she airplaned around the yard. The door groaned again as Maria walked out, leaning against the house as she watched the two. Carol carefully dropped Monica back down into her arms, holding the girl tightly, kissing the top of her head.

“I missed you,” Carol said into the thick mess of hair Monica was now sporting. Monica wrapped her arms tightly around Carol in return.

“I missed you too.” Monica’s feet hit the ground, she refused to let go of her grip around Carol’s neck. 

“I’m here, I promise. You can let go and I’ll still be here,” Carol whispered, the little arms slowly released from her neck. Carol stood up, brushing Monica’s hair back. “See, still here.”

“Mom!” Monica finally noticed her mother on the porch. “Mom! Look it’s Aunty Carol.” Monica grinned.

“I know baby,” Maria smiled, she looked up at Carol, smiling warmly. 

“Come on, grab your bag, let’s go inside,” Carol said, patting Monica’s shoulder. Monica ran back to her bag and followed Carol up the stairs. Carol ran her hand down Maria’s arm, clasping their hands together. 

“She’s taller,” Carol said softly, Maria gently squeezed Carol’s hand. 

“Come on, we have cake.” 

“Chocolate?” Monica shouted from the house.

“Of course!” Both Carol and Maria shouted back. Carol opened the door, standing aside to allow Maria in.

“After you,” Carol said bowing slightly and waving Maria in, who rolled her eyes but walked in. 

“Whatever space alien,” Maria said kissing Carol’s cheek as she walked by. “Good to know chivalry isn’t dead in space.”

“You met Yon-Rogg, what do you think?”

“That galaxies far and wide are fucked,” Maria said making Carol laugh. 

“Mom, Aunt Carol! Hurry up!” Monica called from the kitchen. 

“Chill out Lue, we’re coming.”

x-x-x

The phone ringing split the calm Louisiana night, waking Maria and Carol up. Maria reached up and grabbed the phone. “Hello?” she rasped, Carol wrapped her arms around Maria, kissing her shoulder.

“Understood,” Maria hung up. She rolled over and kissed Carol 

“That was?” Carol asked kissing Maria again.

“There’s been a bombing, some of my guys are being deployed.” Maria sighed and Carol groaned. “They are good guys, and we shouldn’t even—” Carol kissed Maria.

“Where?”

“Carol, no….” 

“Maria, it’s my job. I’ll be back before you even get up,” Carol promised and Maria sighed. 

“Sokovia,” Maria said, Carol went to get up but Maria pulled her back by the front of her shirt, kissing her. “You come back.”

“I will.” Carol kissed her again before getting out of bed. She quickly changed, she kissed Maria one last time before running out of the house. Maria watched as Carol sprinted into the yard and flew into the air. 

“You better come back.”

x-x-x

Carol was a little shocked that no one really blinked an eye as she walked through the rubble, She walked up to the man running triage.

“How can I help?”

“We’re looking for survivors. There's a set of missing kids from that building but we can’t get some of the walls up—” Carol walked over and grabbed a large chunk of the building and moved it into a clear area. “Alright! Everyone start looking let’s find these kids.” Soon dozens of people were shoulder to shoulder with Carol digging in the remains of the building.

“Here! Here!” Someone shouted and Carol ran over. “I can’t—” Carol grabbed the piece of wall that was lying on the top of a pile. She tossed it over to a clear area, revealing two kids. 

“Hey, hey. I got you.” Carol reached out to the young girl. 

_ ‘They look so scared. God, I hope Monica never looked this scared,’  _

Carol grabbed the girl’s hand pulling her out of the hole she was in. “I got you.” The girl pressed her hand to Carol’s cheek. “Hey it—” Carol stopped, memories started flooding her mind, they took the air from her lungs. 

“You are her mom.” The girl whispered and Carol didn’t know if she should cry or throw up. 

“How did you…”

“I don’t know.” Carol reached out and grabbed the boy’s arm, pulling him to her. 

“Ma’am,” A hand fell onto Carol’s shoulder, “ma’am, we can take them.” Carol looked up and saw a medic standing over her. 

“Yeah… yeah. Ok.” Carol stood up and put the kids on the gurney they had standing next to them. “You two… you take care of each other…” Carol ruffled both their heads before they were loaded up. 

“Go home,” the girl said and Carol nodded, she turned to the guy and handed her a card. 

“Call this number when you get them to the hospital. I’ll follow up.” Carol watched the man nod before she turned and started down the road, getting out of sight before flying, as fast as she can back home.

x-x-x

Carol nearly fell to the ground as she came in for a hard landing. She stumbled a few feet forward and looked up as the screen groaned. Maria and Monica stood on the porch, Maria smirking as she wiped her hands on that damn rag. 

“You missed breakfast.”

“Where’s my damn ring?” Carol shouted and a grin broke out on both Monica and Maria’s faces. Monica looked up at Maria who nodded. Monica raced back into the house. Carol climbed the stairs of the porch. 

“So, where’s my ring?” Carol asked again as she wrapped her arms around Maria, smilingly smugly at Maria. 

“So you remember?”

“Everything.”  The screen groaned and Carol looked down at Monica who held up a ring, her ring.

“Here, mom.” Monica grinned. Carol took the ring and slid it onto her finger. 

“Perfect,” She said staring down at the ring on her finger. “Now, what else did you happen to not tell me?” Carol asked as she looped an arm around Maria’s hips, the other resting on the top of Monica’s shoulders.


	4. Chapter 4

Carol stumbled as she landed, it was more of a crash, into Maria’s yard. Her heart was in her throat, her lungs felt like they couldn’t bring in any air. She rushed into the house, accidentally tearing the screen off its hinges. 

“Maria! Monica!” She shouted, there was no reply. Carol’s chest tightened more. She rushed into the kitchen, the tap was pushed back but no water was running, Carol reached over and flicked the lights switch, but none of the lights turned on. The house was abandoned, left exactly how it was all those months ago when something happened… Something big. Carol grabbed her communicator, looking at the coordinates. It wasn’t much further, at least for her. She went to leave when Goose came snarling around the corner. Carol smiled as the animal saw her and rushed over purring loudly. 

“Good girl, Goose, you took care of the house for them.” Carol picked the cat up, petting her. “Lost some weight there, come on let’s go see our friend.” Carol walked out of the house, she looked down at the cat in her arms before taking off. She headed toward where the coordinates would be. Her landing this time was much better, smoother to say the least. She rushed into the building, meeting little to no resistance. She found a group of people standing around the beeper which had now died. 

“Where’s Fury?” She asked when the woman turned around. 

“Woah,” the woman said looking Carol over. “Who are you?”

“Fury, where is he?” Carol repeated, the group exchanged looks. 

“He was part of the group that disappeared,” A guy Carol vaguely recognized said, she narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m Steve—”

“Rodgers, Captain America?” He nodded. “Oh god, I’m at the Avengers base, fuck.” Carol groaned. “I need to find my family.”

“Who.. who are you?” Bruce Banner asked and Carol looked at him. 

“Captain Marvel,” Carol said earning a snicker from someone. “Without me, there would be no you. Trust me. Even your title, the Avengers, wouldn’t be a thing.” 

“Alright, Captain Marvel, what took you so long?” Natasha asked and Carol sighed. 

“I was three galaxies away… half the people there disappeared too. I flew home as quick as I could… my family wasn’t there. What the hell happened?” She demanded and everyone looked at each other.

“Why don’t you sit down while we explain this?” Natasha said, pushing a chair toward Carol.

x-x-x

Carol stood next to Steve, she wiped the blood from his forehead. “That’s it?” She asked and he nodded.

“As long as we didn’t mess up the time loop too much, yeah,” Carol nodded.

“Natasha!” A woman shouted as she came out of the woods, a man with an infinity stone in his forehead next to her.

“Over here kid,” Natasha called out as she wrapped Clint’s hand. Carol stared at the woman for a moment, trying to figure out why she was so familiar. 

“Sokovia?” Carol said out loud and the woman looked at her, Carol’s heart jumped to her throat. She rushed over to her. “Sokovia, you were a kid?”

“You pulled me out of the ruins, my brother too.” The woman smiled. “I’m Wanda,” She reached her hand out. 

“Carol,” Carol said shaking her hand. “You have no idea what you gave me”

“I do,” Wanda smiled as Carol hugged her. “You had every right to know that they were your family, that she was your wife and the girl was your daughter. I just had to help boost your memory a bit.” The woman smiled and Carol grinned.

“Wait, what happened to you? I gave that guy Fury’s card but…”

“Long story, I’ll explain it one day,” Wanda explained. “Just… remember you helped a lot of families today, mine included.” 

“Speaking of, you should go see your family,” Steve said putting a hand on Carol’s shoulder. “We’ve got the rest of this.”

“Thanks,” Carol said, “I promise we’ll meet again,” 

“The base is always open to you,” Tony said. 

“Thanks, I should go.” With that Carol took off. She flew across the world and back home. Landing just as awful as she had been the last few times. Maria was at her plane, elbow deep in grease. 

“I wasn’t expect—” Carol cut her off with a searing kiss, tears falling down her cheeks. “Carol, what’s wrong?” Maria asked as they pulled apart.

“Nothing… everything is perfect now.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it, hope you guys liked it, let me know!


End file.
